Corporate entities and other organizations often provide information technology (IT) computing solutions, such as accounting applications, engineering tools, sales and marketing programs, human resource applications, and so on, via an in-house or internal corporate communication network to their employees or members. In some examples, such computing solutions may be provided as part of an overall enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. However, as Internet-based, or “cloud-based,” solutions hosted outside a corporate network have become more popular and prevalent due to the reduced infrastructure costs and enhanced scalability typically associated therewith, many organizations now offer at least a portion of their computing solutions to their members or employees via the cloud.
As is the case with corporate network computing solutions, organizations typically control access to cloud-based computing solutions by way of user authentication to ensure that only employees, or a specific subset of employees, may access a particular computing solution. In some examples, authentication of employees attempting to access a cloud-based solution from a computing device located within a corporate network is provided by a corporate identity management system located within the corporate network. However, under circumstances in which an employee is located outside the corporate network, such as when the employee is at home or on a business trip, the computing solution may be unable to authenticate the employee using the same corporate identity management system due to the firewall normally employed to protect the corporate network from malevolent external access. In such cases, the employee may access the cloud-based solutions via a different entry point that provides authentication by a cloud-based identity provider, such as by way of a web password or other authentication mechanism. As a result, the employee normally determines which entry point to use for a particular cloud solution based on whether the computing device of the employee is located within or external to the corporate network.